Le Mans glory for GT Academy winner

A former winner of Sony's annual Gran Turismo Academy competition has scored a podium finish at this year's Intercontinental Le Mans Cup. Yes, the real thing.

As detailed over on the PlayStation Blog, Spaniard Lucas Ordoņez, who won the inaugural GT Academy back in 2008, managed second place at the legendary 24 hour race with his Signatech Nissan team-mates Franck Mailleux and Soheil Ayari.

Ordoņez has recently graduated into the team following successful campaigns in the European GT4 Cup driving a Nissan 370Z.

"It was a day when all of my dreams came true," he said after the event. "Three years ago I won an amazing prize but never in my wildest dreams did I think that it would take me all the way to the Le Mans podium.

"I have been on the biggest adventure you could ever imagine and I must thank Nissan and PlayStation for creating GT Academy!"

For the uninitiated, GT Academy is an annual pan-European promotion that seeks out the best Gran Turismo 5 players and gives them the chance to train as a professional racing driver.

The 12 competitors left in this year's event were in the stands to witness Ordoņez race. The winner will be crowned later this week following four days of competition at the Silverstone circuit in the UK.